Masada

Masada (also occasionally spelled Massada) is a fortress site in Israel's Judean Desert, the site of a long siege and heroic battle in 70 CE, at the end of the wars between Rome and the Jews. Excavated in the 1960s, Masada is now part of the Israeli National Parks network and a major tourist destination.

Get in

Most people access Masada from the eastern side near Road 90, which runs down the Israeli coast of the Dead Sea. A cable car ferries visitors to the top, or you can tackle the steep Snake Path (45-60 min).

The less used option is Road 3199 from Arad to the western side. The road ends at a parking lot, from which there is a comparatively easy 15-20 minute ascent to the top.